Börje Salming

Salming was born on 17 April 1951 in the village of Salmi in what is now Kiruna Municipality, near Torneträsk in Jukkasjärvi Parish. His father, Erland (1921–1956), was of Sami origin, while his mother, Karin (née Persson, 1927–2022), was Swedish. His paternal grandfather Anders Nikolaus had the surname of Sarri, but changed it to Salming after the village that he and his father (Börje's great-grandfather) had built up. His father was a miner who died in a mining accident when Salming was 5 years old. Salming's older brother, and role model growing up, Stig Salming (b.1947) also played hockey, for Brynäs IF between 1968 and 1981, becoming Swedish champions six times.

Salming identified himself as indigenous Sámi and was included in the electoral roll for Sametinget. He also shared his experiences growing up as indigenous in his native Kiruna and supported the struggle for Indigenous peoples' human rights on national TV.[2] As a reflection of his Sámi heritage, Salming often wore a traditional Sami pewter bracelet.[3]

The Salming family resided close to a ice skating hall called Matojärvi hall where Börje started skating at the age of 6. He also played handball during his childhood.

Salming with All-Star Legends 2008 in Toronto

After the end of his playing career, Salming launched an eponymous brand of sports underwear.[20] In 2007, at age 56, he posed nude for 31 paintings by Swedish graffiti artist Johan Wattberg. Ten of the paintings were displayed in Sweden, with the remaining 21 (matching his jersey number) displayed in Toronto.[21]

Early in his career as a Leaf, Salming resided in the High Park neighbourhood in Toronto with his wife Margitta, a children's-wear designer;[22][23] they later divorced.[24]

In 2016, he married Pia Salming.[25] Salming had four children: Theresa and Anders with first wife Margitta, and Rasmus and Bianca with his ex-partner Katarina. His daughter Bianca Salming is a heptathlete.[26]

In February 2022, Salming began to experience an unusual twitching motion in his muscles, which later forced him to prematurely exit an alumni game in March.[27] In mid-July, Salming was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease.[27] On 10 August, Salming publicly revealed his diagnosis via a statement shared through the Toronto Maple Leafs organization.[28] Following his diagnosis, Salming developed severe depression.[29] Appearing in public on 17 October, for the first time since his diagnosis, Salming revealed that his condition had worsened: he had lost the ability to speak, requiring him to use a tablet computer for communication, and required a feeding tube for meals.[30]

On 11 November 2022, despite his diagnosis, Salming made the annual trip to Toronto for the Maple Leafs' Hall of Fame induction weekend game, where he was part of an emotional pre-game moment where lifelong friend Darryl Sittler helped Salming wave to the crowd.[31][32] The following night, the Maple Leafs honoured Salming in their game against the Vancouver Canucks, featuring a pre-game ceremony dedicated to the defender where a tearful Salming dropped the puck in the ceremonial face off. The Maple Leafs selected a unique starting line-up of six Swedish players to honour Salming's career.[33][34]

The following week, on 17 November 2022, Salming was elected to the all-star team of the century and was awarded the NHL's Honorary Award at a ceremony in Sweden. Following the ceremony, Salming's wife announced that the event would be the family's final appearance.[35]

One week later, on 24 November 2022, Salming died at the age of 71.[1][36][37] His death made national headlines in Canada and in Sweden, with several organizations, athletes, and celebrities offering tributes to his life.[38] For the remainder of the 2022–23 NHL season, the Maple Leafs wore commemorative shoulder patches in Salming's honour, with the team also making several donations to ALS research.[39] On 30 November 2022, a moment of silence was held at Scotiabank Arena to honour him during a game where the San Jose Sharks visited the Toronto Maple Leafs.[40] A private funeral was held at Skogskyrkogården on December 20, 2022.[41] Three days earlier, his mother Karin died aged 95.

Salming's exhibit at the Hockey Hall of Fame

In November 1996, Salming became the first Swedish player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.[42] In 2017, the NHL itself named Salming one of the '100 Greatest Players' in league history.[43]

On 4 October 2006, Salming's no. 21 was honoured by the Leafs in a ceremony, along with Red Kelly's and Hap Day's no. 4, before their first game of the 2006–07 season.[44]

• Named to the All-Star Team at the World Ice Hockey Championships in 1973.[45]
• Named to the Swedish All-Star Team in 1973 and 1989.[46]
• Named to the NHL First All-Star Team in 1977.[46]
• Named to the NHL Second All-Star Team in 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979 and 1980.[46]
• Named to the Canada Cup All-Star Team in 1976.[47][48]
• Named to the IIHF Centennial All-Star Team in 2008.[49]
• Named to the Swedish All-Star Team of the Century in 2022.[50]
• Awarded the Viking Award (Best Swede in North America) in 1976, 1977 and 1979.[51]
• Awarded the Molson Cup (Most 3 Star Selections) in 1974, 1977, 1978 and 1980.[47]
• Awarded the Charlie Conacher Humanitarian Award in 1982.[52]
• Awarded the NHL Honorary Award in 2022.[53]
• Played in and won the NHL All-Star Games of 1976, 1977 and 1978.[47]
• Played for Team NHL in the 1979 Challenge Cup.[54]
• Inducted into to the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1998.[55][56]
• Number (21) Retired by the Toronto Maple Leafs[47]
• '100 Greatest Players' in NHL history[57]
• Swedish Ice Hockey Association All-Century Team[47]

• Salming holds six career and single season Toronto Maple Leaf records including most career points by a defenceman, most career goals by a defenceman, most career assists (any position), most assists in a season by a defenceman, and best career plus-minus.[58]
• First Swedish (and European) player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.[58]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Börje Salming.

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database